Cooking with Mary

So you may or may not know that I enjoy spending some time in the kitchen. As long as that time is productive time. Please note that dishes and clean up is NOT considered productive in my books. Ugh, I need a maid.

In any event, I like to consider myself a pretty good cook, and an excellent baker. Sure, I have some mishaps here and there, but for the most part- I can put some good food on the table. In the course of trying to drop a few (read: many) lbs, I am working my way through an old Weight Watchers cookbook I inherited somewhere along the way. Most of the recipes in the cookbook are the type that involve 99% fat free cream of ______ soup. For the most part, I attempt to pass those recipes by. However, on occasion, one speaks to me. And this one surely did.

Chicken a la King Casserole

8 oz wide egg noodles
1 can 99% fat free cream of chicken soup
2/3 c fat free evaporated milk
6 oz. cubed light Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 c cooked cubed chicken breast
1 c chopped celery
1/4 c chopped green pepper
2 oz jar pimentos, drained
1 c dried bread crumbs
1 tbsp melted butter
1/4 c slivered almonds

Cook noodles according to package directions
In large sauce saucepan combine soup and milk
Cook over medium heat stirring for 2 minutes
Reduce heat, stir in cheese until melted
Add chicken and vegetables
Add drained noodles and mix well
Place in 2 qt baking dis, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray
Toss breadcrumbs with butter and sprinkle on top
Sprinkle with almonds
Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until heated through and golden
Serves 6 at 7 points each (old, old points version, not points plus)

Maybe you are asking yourself what spoke to me in this recipe? Answer: Pimentos. Love them.

Maybe you are asking yourself how this recipe turned out? Umm...well, imagine if you were picking up the ingredients for this recipe and didn't realize there was a difference between evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk.

Yeah, it was sweet. And WAY more calories than it should have been. You would think that I might have realized something was off when I saw how many calories were in a serving after entering the recipe into My Fitness Pal. Nope, it wasn't until I took that first bite and thought, "well, this tastes a little like dessert" that I realized something was off. And it wasn't until the next day when I discussed the recipe with my friend (who has the same cookbook) that I realized there was a difference between evaporated and sweetened condensed milk.

Woops.

That being said, I think it would be an awesome recipe if you made a few changes:

First, use evaporated milk, and not sweetened condensed (headslap)
Use the whole stinking green pepper (I always do anyways- and it didn't hurt it this time around)
Use sharp Cheddar real cheese instead of Velveeta (Velveeta=yuck! in my books anyways)
Add broccoli- lots of broccoli! Or other veggies (more peppers, onions, asparagus, brussel sprouts)
Saute veggies before adding them to the mix
Less breadcrumbs, more almonds!
You really need to bake it longer to get it good and crunchy on the top (the recipe didn't come with a temp to bake, I used 350, maybe 400 or 450 would be better)

I think one of my favorite things about making this recipe (and other casseroles in general) is that it allows me to use the 2 qt casserole dish that my grandma gave me. I'm sorry but Pyrex and Martha Stewart don't have anything on old dishes, in my books.



I heart this dish, and all the other "antique" dishes I have inherited.

I wish you better luck, and warn you to read recipes and check ingredients closely!  :-)